How a church insolvency has interrupted a cemetery restoration project in Burin

Locals call it the "old" St. Patrick's Roman Catholic cemetery, but an expensive and ambitious restoration project in recent years has dramatically transformed this hallowed ground on Seaview Drive in the town of Burin.

Its ancient grave markers, once hidden amid overgrown alders and creeping undergrowth, are once again exposed for all to see, part of a makeover that has seen the site transformed into a park-like setting, one that helps tell the story of a community with a history dating back to the early 1700s.

But this spiritual undertaking has been halted, money has been seized, and nerves are frayed.

Like so many church-owned properties in the Archdiocese of St. John's, the fate of the cemetery is now on shaky ground as lawyers, real estate agents, surveyors and others pick through the assets of a venerable institution that's been part of the province's social fabric for more than 200 years.

The courts have ruled that the archdiocese is vicariously liable for the abuse suffered by young boys who attended Mount Cashel orphanage in the '40s, '50s and '60s, and in order to satisfy what will undoubtedly be millions in claims by dozens of survivors, the archdiocese has become insolvent.

The archdiocese, through its episcopal corporation, has a vast holding of properties, reaching all the way from St. John's to the southern tip of the Burin Peninsula, ranging from churches and rectories to schools and vacant land, and it's all for sale through a court-supervised process.

By all accounts, the church's physical presence in the region is expected to shrink dramatically this year as property is sold, churches close and parishes combine or disappear altogether.

What's less certain is the fate of the dozens of cemeteries included among that long list of holdings, and that has put members of the cemetery restoration committee in Burin on edge.

"The mortal remains of our grandparents, great-great-grandparents and so many relatives, are on the block. It's up for sale. All of our cemeteries are," said committee member Evelyn Grondin-Bailey.

But that might not be the case.

A list of tendered properties was revealed in a St. John's court Friday, and it did not include any cemeteries.

"I haven't heard anything so far in this process to suggest that the cemetery will be impacted by the insolvency," said Geoff Budden, the St. John's lawyer who represents about 70 Mount Cashel survivors.

"Nobody is suggesting cemeteries will be disturbed by this process," Budden added.

While they haven't received a formal commitment, cemetery committee members hope ownership of the property can be transferred to them for the sum of $1.